Page 55 of Dissent (The Dissenter Saga #1)
D oc cleared my ankle. I was still supposed to engage in light duty for another week and keep it wrapped, but he thought it was healing well.
I had a hard time focusing on any of it, though.
My mind just wanted to replay my interaction with Wes over and over again.
I still couldn’t get over how civil he could be, or that he had apologized for being such an ass this whole time.
The biggest piece, however, was the knowledge that Wes was just like me—the black sheep.
The kid that was the giant disappointment.
And I felt for him. My heart actually ached knowing that he struggled with some of the same emotional trauma I had been dealing with for the past eighteen years.
In so many ways, Wes and I were kindred spirits, and that little piece of information had me feeling all kinds of ways.
But I couldn’t sort through all of that right now.
No sooner was I out of the infirmary, Edith was on me, chattering like an excited squirrel and shoving me through camp.
It was time for my “surprise,” and she pushed me along, giggling the whole way.
I kept trying to fish information out of her, but her only response was “You’ll see” or “Keep walking, sister!” It wasn’t long before we made it to the edge of camp and came up to a trailhead that went up the side of the mountain.
And before I could ask her again where she was taking me, she was shoving me onto the trail.
We hiked up, and the thinning oxygen made me breathe harder and feel lightheaded.
But it wasn’t long before I could see that we were about to reach the crest.
Edith stopped hiking. “Keep going until you get to the top.”
“You’re not coming? You’ve been pushing me this whole way just to stop several yards from the top? Seriously?”
If even possible, her already ridiculously huge grin got even bigger. “Yup! Have a good time.” Then she turned on her heels and started hiking down.
“Edith? Where are you going? What the heck am I supposed to do up here? Edith!”
She never turned back, just waved her hand in the air as she shouted, “You’ll see.”
I stared after her for a minute, tempted to just hike down after her.
What the hell was I supposed to do by myself in the freaking woods?
Last time I did that, I had a mountain lion almost eat me alive.
Not my idea of a good time. I groaned as I turned around, glancing at the top of the trail and then back down behind me.
Edith was no longer in sight. Chewing on my thumb nail, a silent battle warred within me.
Why did she drag me up here? Curiosity won out.
With a resigned sigh, I began hiking the few remaining yards to the top.
Reaching it, I looked around and a gorgeous vista greeted my eyes.
The sun was warm and slowly creeping down toward the horizon, but there were still several hours left before sunset.
The golden rays bathed the valley in light, and the hues of red, orange, and pink painted the sky. It was breathtaking.
As my brain finished taking in the scenery, I noticed something in front of me. A blanket was stretched out on the ground with a bag sitting neatly in the middle, bulging with things I couldn’t see yet. Now I was confused. What was Edith planning?
“You finally made it.”
I jumped out of my skin, hand flying to my chest to safeguard my heart which had skipped several beats as I twirled around to face the voice. Deep brown eyes met mine. Eyes I felt I could lose myself in forever, happy for eternity.
A chuckle escaped Matias’s lips. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Oh my god… It’s okay, I just didn’t know anyone else was up here.”
He laughed again before a playful smirk took over, and he stepped closer until he was right there, inches from me. Like a switch being turned on, I felt tingling sensations all around.
“Well, that was the whole idea.” His hand landed on my hip and then slid around to the small of my back. Everywhere he touched, my skin burned in suspense as my heart fluttered wildly like a caged bird.
I blinked, trying hard to regain control of myself. “Consider it a success, then.”
He drew me in, pulling me until my soft curves were met by the firm lines of his.
I couldn’t think—my brain absolutely numb—as my body gained a mind of its own, practically vibrating under Matias’s heady gaze.
His nose gently brushed the tip of my own as his breath tickled my skin.
His free hand came up to my cheek, the back of his fingers gliding along my jawline in a gentle caress.
The seismic intensity I felt had me ready to collapse.
My heart was a melted puddle of nothingness while my knees trembled underneath me.
I tried to form words, making pitiful sounds in an attempt to speak, but Matias gently shushed me. And before I could process anything else, his lips came down to meet mine, and I felt my whole body explode.